January 15, 2025 (San Diego and Irvine, California) – Five Procopio attorneys based in downtown San Diego, Del Mar Heights and Orange County, California, have been elevated to Partner status as the firm enters 2025. Kevin Davis, David Gouzoules, Stephen Isbell, Jacob Poorman, and Merrick Wadsworth are the latest to assume this role at the AmLaw corporate, intellectual property and litigation law firm.

“Each of these new Partners has exhibited great character, competence and commitment to the firm and our clients,” said Managing Partner Dennis Doucette. “They possess unique skill sets that reinforce Procopio’s stability and strength in commercial and intellectual property litigation, real estate, and education law.”

Kevin Davis advises charter schools, educational organizations, public agencies and other nonprofits on corporate compliance, such as forming and organizing new corporations, reorganizations and restructuring, obtaining state and federal tax exemptions, ongoing reporting obligations, and wind ups and dissolutions. His practice involves a variety of land use and environmental matters, including the representation of public agencies, Native American tribes, developers, businesses and individuals concerning permitting and entitlements, compliance and enforcement matters, as well implementing land use restrictions, easements and conservation easements, encroachments, and takings or condemnation of private property for water projects and other public uses through the exercise of eminent domain.  Kevin also advises charter schools and educational organizations on facilities issues, such as lease negotiations and Proposition 39 facilities requests and facilities use agreements. He is based in Procopio’s downtown San Diego office.

David Gouzoules represents businesses and individuals in all manner of disputes, including breach of contract matters, allegations of fraud and breach of fiduciary duty, and real estate disputes.  He represents both plaintiffs and defendants and has represented businesses in a wide array of industries, including healthcare, consumer goods, real estate, and finance.  David has extensive experience from pre-dispute resolution all the way through trial, post-trial motions, and appeals.  He strives to achieve his clients’ objectives in the most efficient manner possible.  He is based in Procopio’s downtown San Diego office.

Stephen Isbell is an experienced transactional attorney and commercial litigator focused on real estate and financial services. His transactional services include complex loan transactions, loan and asset purchases, bank participation agreements, loan workouts, and commercial real estate transactions, including acquisitions, dispositions, commercial leases, and easements. Representing banks, mortgage lenders, real estate developers, land owners, and title insurance companies in litigation, Stephen is experienced in all phases of litigation, from pre-trial motions, written discovery and depositions, jury and court trials, and binding arbitration, mediation, informal settlement negotiations, and appeals. He is based in Procopio’s Orange County office.

Jacob Poorman represents clients in intellectual property and other complex commercial disputes. He is experienced in all phases of litigation in federal, state, and arbitral proceedings, as well as in proceedings before U.S. governmental agencies. Jake provides strategic advice to individuals and companies on a range of issues, including litigation risk and compliance. He also maintains an active pro bono practice, and has received Congressional recognition for his advocacy on behalf of veterans in Southern California. Jake served as a law clerk to the Honorable Jay C. Zainey, United States District Court Judge in the Eastern District of Louisiana, and spent six months on a secondment to the Los Angeles City Attorneys’ office where he worked as a prosecutor. He is based in Procopio’s Del Mar Heights office.

Merrick Wadsworth focuses on advising nonprofits, charter schools, and public agencies on a variety of issues regarding governance, entity formation, contracts, conflicts of interest, real property acquisition, and a variety of other operational issues. Merrick regularly advises charter school clients on the Brown Act, California Public Records Act, and relations with charter authorizers, and also assists with new charter submissions, appeals, revocation proceedings, and renewals. He also has experience assisting with various phases of civil litigation and appeals. Merrick regularly provides trainings on topics such as the Brown Act, Public Records Act, avoiding conflicts of interest under the Political Reform Act and Government Code section 1090, and new legislation impacting clients in the education sector. He previously was a law clerk at the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of California, Civil Division where he assisted on cases involving bankruptcy, employment, and medical malpractice issues. Prior to law school, Merrick worked as a substitute teacher in all grade levels at the Kings County Office of Education. He is based in Procopio’s downtown San Diego office.